Shock
by WriterofGotham
Summary: The man's eyes started to go glassy as Tim noticed he started to struggle with focusing on him. The man's face had gone white as a sheet and Tim's fear had been confirmed. The sheer amount of blood, the fact that the pressure he was holding wasn't helping, and now even with Tim's limited amount of experience he knew the signs of e knife hit an artery and the man


"Hey, just stay calm for me. I've called the ambulance," Robin said as he placed a large gauze pad over the knife wound the old man had. The man had sustained minutes ago Batman raced after the perp and left Robin behind to take care of him.

"Nhh, what are you doing?" the man asked staring at Robin.

"I'm applying pressure to slow the bleeding down. Just try to stay calm the more upset you are the quicker you'll bleed out." Tim replied as he applied another gauze pad on top of the one that had been bled through. "You'll be okay the ambulance is coming soon. Then you'll go to the E.R. and you'll get fixed up in no time at all. Gotham Doctor and nurses are the best you know? They have to be they deal with all the fallout with the rouges fixing a knife wound will be just another day at work for them."

The man's eyes started to go glassy as Tim noticed he started to struggle with focusing on him. The man's face had gone white as a sheet and Tim's fear had been confirmed. The sheer amount of blood, the fact that the pressure he was holding wasn't helping, and now even with Tim's limited amount of experience he knew the signs of shock.

The knife hit an artery and the man was dying.

Tim kept pressure with one hand and with the other he felt for a pulse it was weak but rapid and he was starting to have trouble breathing. Tim slapped the man a few times on the cheek trying to get him to open his eyes but the man didn't open them. He just struggled to breathe those shallow horrible sounding breaths. Tim kept pressure on the wound trying to just keep the man alive a few more minutes. Just long enough for the ambulance to come and save the man. Tim got into his pouch and brought out the last gauze pad and held it down on top of the others. He could hear the sirens now they were close.

He kept his first two fingers around the man's wrist trying to feel the thready pulse. The ambulance was coming down the street now. The EMT's were hopping out and Tim felt a wave of relief wash over him. Tim was shoved away from the man and the EMT's started to work on him They lifted him on the gurney. Tim heard one of them say, "He's going to be DOA. The artery's been clipped. We're just wasting time and effort now."

Tim's eyes went wide as he stared at them taking the man away. Batman radioed for him to meet him and they would call it a night. Tim glanced back at the ambulance one last time and then headed toward the coordinates that Batman was at. He sighed as he swung through the city the old man had just gone out to get ice cream and he wasn't going to go home.

Batman had dropped off the criminal with the GCPD Bruce was waiting for Tim in the Batmobile, "How's the man?"

"The EMT's said he probably wouldn't make it. An artery got nicked," Tim said quietly.

"You tried your best," Bruce said.

Tim settled back in the seat and thought about the man and how awful it sounded the gasping and Tim looked down and saw the that he was covered in blood the bright red saturating his uniform. Tim longer for a shower and to be able to feel clean. Bruce laid a hand on his shoulder and they were on the road back to the cave. He watched as the city sped by his mind still spinning wildly at what happened.

Tim got out of the car as soon as it stopped. He walked out and almost ran to the shower. He stripped and turned on the hot water as high as it would go. Tim blocked out the sounds of the cave and tried not to think about the night. It was first really bad night he'd had as Robin. Bruce had talked to him about the risks, but it was entirely different to see someone in the process of dying. It rankled him at how at ease the EMT was at the fact that the man was dying. It didn't seem possible to get used watching the light go out of someone's eyes. Tim hoped he never got used it.

Bruce was waiting for him when he got out of the shower with a mug of hot chocolate, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Tim took the mug and slowly drank from it letting the sweet and hot liquid work it's warming magic. "I think I knew that that the man was going to die, but it bothered me for the EMT's to act like it wasn't a big deal. I know, B. I know that people die all the time especially in Gotham but it's a lot different to actually see it first hand. I don't want to become jaded and angry like the EMT's. How do I keep the balance without going crazy?" Tim asked.

"For Dick, he had the Titan's they were able to keep each other grounded without becoming bitter. It was also due to the fact that Dick is naturally cheerful it takes a lot to make him depressed, or he kept it under wraps so he wouldn't bother anyone. It was hard to tell at times. Jason loved seeing the difference that being Robin made and he got an adrenaline high. He struggled with the fact that no matter how hard we tried bad guys still got away. This is something you are going to have to learn how to cope with. It's not easy and I hope it never gets any easier when you see someone die, that's your humanity."

Tim stared at his hot chocolate and wondered again why humans couldn't turn emotions on and off again. "I hate it."

"I know. I'm sorry, Tim. This isn't what you thought you were signing up for when you became Robin," Bruce replied. "I can set up an appointment with Black Canary if want that is."

"I can handle it. You don't talk to anyone," Tim replied knowing how disappointed Bruce would be if he actually took him up on the offer.

"I talk to Alfred," Bruce said, "There's no shame in needing to talk to someone. What we do at night takes a toll on anyone."

"I think I would like to talk to Black Canary if that's alright," Tim replied.

"I'll get it set up."

"Ok."


End file.
